ARTICLES ABOUT MARIO LEMIEUX BY DATE - PAGE 5

Mario Lemieux didn't like his last view of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sidelined with a bruised back, Lemieux watched from a luxury box in Civic Arena as the Penguins lost to the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in overtime Thursday night. Lemieux watched his teammates spot Colorado a 3-0 before rallying. "It's tough to watch from up there," Lemieux said Friday. "It was especially tough in the third period when the team got going. You're sitting up there helpless, but that's what happens when you're injured."

The sigh of relief was audible from the Pittsburgh Penguins' training complex all the way to Civic Arena. Mario Lemieux says he is healthy and motivated enough to play at least one more season, and he said he is convinced the Penguins can challenge again for the Stanley Cup. He did not officially inform the Penguins until a Sunday night meeting with team owner Howard Baldwin. Lemieux, who will be 31 next month, returned from a one-year health sabbatical to win his fifth NHL scoring title and lead the Penguins within one victory of the Stanley Cup finals last spring.

His swing could win first place in a beauty pageant. Mario Lemieux's picture-perfect stroke resembles that of PGA wunderkind Ernie Els. And it's no coincidence. "Ernie's my favorite," Lemieux said after the second round of the Celebrity Golf Association's Chicago Classic at White Eagle Golf Club in Naperville. "He's tall like I am and sometimes I try to copy my swing after him. I hear the comparison a lot. That's a great compliment." But Lemieux's swing is more than just pretty.

Penguins 4, Rangers 3: Jaromir Jagr scored twice and set up Mario Lemieux's game-winning goal with 7:17 to play for the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Lemieux and Mark Messier, two of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy awarded the NHL's best player, each had a goal and an assist. Messier led a third-period flurry that put New York ahead 3-2. But his careless slash on Petr Nedved, the ex-teammate he all but ran out of New York, set up Jagr's first goal after the Penguins didn't get off a shot for nearly 10 minutes.

Penguins 4, Capitals 1: Mario Lemieux made sure Pittsburgh kept the momentum from the NHL's longest game in 60 years, finally scoring his first goal of the series in Pittsburgh as the Penguins moved to within a victory of eliminating the fatigued Washington Capitals. Goaltender Ken Wregget stopped 39 of 40 shots as the Penguins, now in position to sweep the final four games after losing the first two at home, became the first team in the series to win on home ice. Only twice in NHL playoff history has the visiting team won the first five games of a series.

Penguins 5, Senators 3: Mario Lemieux ignited a four-goal burst in the second period as Pittsburgh won at Ottawa and kept a one-point margin over Philadelphia for first place in the NHL East with one game left.

Islanders 6, Penguins 2: Zigmund Palffy and Todd Bertuzzi each scored two goals in Pittsburgh as the Islanders posted only their second win in the last 13 games. Mario Lemieux scored his 67th goal on a power play for Pittsburgh.

Penguins 4, Capitals 2: In Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux broke a tie with his second goal of the game with 1:55 remaining as the Penguins halted the Capitals' seven-game unbeaten streak. Lemieux now has 560 goals, tied with Guy Lafleur for ninth on the NHL career list.

John LeClair closed a memorable March with three goals to give him 15 for the month as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 Sunday in Philadelphia. LeClair had 15 goals and eight assists during March, giving him 47 goals and 43 assists for the season. The Flyers have won five in a row and eight of their last nine. The Penguins, who lost for only the second time in their last eight games, played without NHL scoring leader Mario Lemieux, who took the day off.

Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr became only the second teammates to score 60 goals each in a season when they both connected Thursday night in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 3-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in Miami. Jagr also set a record for most points by a European player during one NHL season with 140. The old mark was set by Peter Stastny, who scored 139 points for Quebec in 1981-82. "It's an honor for me," Jagr said. "This is something I wanted to do. I knew I was getting close to the record."